under another sun

Not so productive today, which was a bit peeving. Fighting a losing battle, I instead made off in the afternoon to get my hair cut. I had to book in advance and leave my name, and the two remaining barbers there called me by it several times, not having known it before. Had a long chat with Stacey, who cut my hair shortly before my wedding day, and did a really good job today as then. He told me most of the regulars are not coming back still, and it has been a thin year for barbers. He was still cheery though, and happy to be working. There were two on today, and there was about six metres between me and the next chair. Stacey was wearing a facemask so it felt pretty safe. My hair looks the best it has done all year. Home via Sainsburys. Working till Lorraine came home, and we cooked, and Lorraine nested on the sofa and watched some TV.  Struck by this stick man today. I can't explain why.  

Work in the morning, then off to get my hair cut at lunchtime, as it was beginning to go weird again. The bald patch just makes the weirdness worse, deforming the expectation of how hair should behave. Nice blokes in the barbers. Found myself talking about Edinburgh lots. Then I bought some dirt cheap sneakers, identical to the pair I last had, and a couple of dirt cheap gym teeshirts manufactured in Bangladesh, with a Slazenger logo on them. Afterwards I wondered what appalling conditions these were made in, to get two teeshirts for £7. Home again, and spoke to Mum. Later I cooked squid, once Lorraine had returned from dancing Charleston. We had squid last night too. Squids are our friends. Below, something fantastic in Brighton.

Got up and wrote a blog about Trump this morning for my other site. I am beginning to feel that this is no time for fence sitting. Signed off the flyer for the show,  and went into town to get a haircut, as the hair was all wrong. Sat there feeling a bit wan and tired, and told the barber I'd had a chest infection, and he asked me did I get it shortly after a flu jab, which I had. He said he'd spoken to other people who'd had evil chests after their jabs. It's probably coincidence, but I enjoy a good conspiracy theory as much as anyone. Did some Beth based birthday shopping too, then bussed home feeling tired. Very windy today. Cooked for Lorraine, and we had a nice quiet night in together as the weather got worse.

Seagulls stamping and scuffing on our bedroom roof this morning. Off to see the doc this morning, who has set up blood and poo tests, and perhaps another colonoscopy if things don't improve. I'm keen on regular colonoscopies given that bowels, um, run in our family. I also handed him a leaflet for A Glass of Nothing . You never know. As I was just around from the barbers I had a quick cut in there from Stacy, who cut my hair before my wedding. He is a perfectionist, and it pleases me how he frowningly scissors individual hairs from the Kenny Barnet. Thence to Starbucks where I wrote a few bits and pieces, including on the new story. Bought a card for young Oskar whose birthday it is tomorrow, and got home to fashion a golden ticket for him. Sat with Beth this afternoon doing some play admin before our evening rehearsal, this time at home, with Dylan and Kitty. For reasons best known to herself Calliope very keen to join in. Lying on the carpet on the middle of the stage an...

Up early and working on a poem or two before getting down to work. A couple of older poems, never quite finished to my satisfaction when approached in a ruthless spirit of cutting dead wood, suddenly shaped up a bit. Satisfying. Worked till around three on video scripts for the charity then walked into town to get a haircut and just to walk having been manacled to the desk. The barber's empty so I got a protracted cut with the barber pacing about my head and peer at it as if it were a snooker table. Got a bus back as I am feeling wan and depleted of energy. Worked till quite late, doing a variety of bits before I cooked a curry and then went to bed early with Lorraine who is having a hard week.

Work punctuated by an occasional stroll into the garden to separate scrapping cats, then broke free for a haircut in the afternoon, and felt like falling asleep in the chair after being groomed. Felt slightly ashamed as I was moaning about my area of concern to a completely bald barber. Then I walked up to see Janet and Ken for a cup of tea and chat with them. Lorraine home at lunchtime, and Sonia here too, whose birthday it was yesterday, and was suggesting I buy a property in Bulgaria near a golf course. A general feeling of cheer about the day, ahead of the bank holiday weekend, and L and I going over to Guernsey next week for three days. Rather tired at the end of the week, Lorraine cooked a delicious balti curry and we sat down with Beth in the evening to watch the Paddington movie which, while perfectly fine, was actually for children.

Met Anton for a coffee in the Marwood at 1pm, and we shared a chocolate brownie, seeing as I was on holiday. Showed Anton my new laptop, and we chewed a lot of cud as Anton has had a dire year. A new start awaits. A haircut at the new place, but a silent hairdresser, who burst with indignation when the radio news covered the story of a an inconsequential Tory MP joining the reality TV show I’m a celebrity get me out of here where she will be forced to eat things like insects and kangaroo testicles, instead of doing the important work of a constituency MP. As a rule I don’t like it when barbers get emotional when they are cutting my hair. It drove this one to a frenzy of combing and drying the hair he had cut, till my scalp felt desiccated. No to the passions of barbers... I faffed about this afternoon, getting ready. Realised I’d booked a very early flight, which means getting a very early train so packing had to be done tonight. Lorraine packing some of her stuff into my bag, whic...

Slept like a log, and woke at eight. Beautiful day, and thank God for the weekend. Still, nowhere near enough time to sort out everything that has been left on ice for the last few weeks. Up early and billing and some admin. Lorraine and I headed into town, Lorraine picking up a conker from the big tree on the road,  before we headed into town for a much-needed haircut, put my suit into dry cleaning before next weekend's wedding, pharmacy etc. Lorraine and I also took the opportunity to pop into The Basketmakers for a couple of hours where we met Matt, with Rosie and Dawn putting in guest appearances too. Great to be back in the Basketmakers with friends. Matt about complete a choral piece I supplied the words for, based around the phrases used in shop windows, either called Season, New Season or Everything Must Go.  I bought a CD, for the first time in ages . Rispah, by The Invisible. Fell into conversation with the woman serving me in Resident Records and disc...

Adapting slowly to reality. Cloudless sky in Brighton. Up early to sit before my computer and felt a knot of tension in my stomach.  However I decided it was Friday, after a holiday and was allowed to do little. Instead, Lorraine and I went off to the gym, Lorraine continuing the daily swims we had been enjoying, and I went for a general workout. My legs were weaker than normal because my exercise was mostly of the floating variety. Have put on weight during the holiday, despite continual swimming. Off to have the obligatory white line above my tanned features revealed by the barber. Exhausted by all this, Lorraine and I paused for a glass of beer at The Basketmakers before heading home. Cheery chat with mum, and Lorraine and I went with Beth to the Shahi for a cheeky curry, before the belt-tightening is resumed. Great to have spicy food again, and we three had a happy evening. Watching a bit of the Olympic malarkey, which seems to have gone off very well and been a credit to eve...

Another good start on The New Idea for the first several hours of the day. Then walking to the new barbers in cool and pleasant sunshine. A pleasant man who refreshingly both talks and listens gave me an haircut, expertly drawing attention away from the area of concern. Grey and white hair snowing down. O for the dark curls of yesteryear. All this hobbling about is making me feel like a weary old man. To the gym, chatting to Anton en route, among other things about 'our' new book. A longer rehabilitation session today, and I doubled my time on the cross trainer, and did some light weight work. Enjoyed shambling among the rows of  robotic narcissists. Home and Betty up and looking wan on the gold sofa after partying with Amy last night. I did more on the New Idea and Moby-Dick until it was time to cook a species of fish curry for L and I. Eng-er-land at it again on the TV tonight against Ukraine, getting another freak win. Texting Anton during the game, with Lorraine curl...

A slight cold today, which Lorraine has too.  I sprang up and went to the barber, whose wife had chest pains this morning. When she phoned from from the hospital, he cut the conversation short to continue finish my hair. Odd priorities. Balked at the gym and instead I met Lorraine in Sainsbury's, then we drove to the Twitten to remove my old bed, humping bits of stuff down the Twitten like in the old days. Although I am happy in the Old Church Hall, I miss the Twitten too. Sweet indolence this afternoon, with Lorraine playing on her iPad. In the evening off to Cuckfield where her pals Jess and Andrew are. Nice evening, with wine and coq au vin. Lorraine driving us home in the sheeting rain.

Beetling about Another bitty beetling about day. Had a much needed haircut, from my excellent new barbers, a distinct improvement on the previous walrus-faced one. Pleasantly chatty and intelligent. The one cutting my hair was a school Governor, with a passion for photography and geography. After this, dropped some posters off with Marion at the Unitarian Church discussing the prospect of snow on the 11th Feb. This is an idea that Matt put into my head when we spoke today, but you can only worry about things you can control. Watched the last of my Larry Sanders episodes after the gym, while eating beans on toast. Such a great series, way ahead of its time comedically, and great performances. Perhaps I will have to get on with my work now. Lorraine coughing and feeling a bit rough today when she got home. We watched the second half of Birdsong on TV which was splendid. Dreary IT struggles dept: trying to upload the track names to Gracenote, so that when people put the CD into their iTu...

Gleaming This morning my throat felt as if I had been eating cactus sandwiches. I hadn't, of course, so the raw throat business was highly annoying. Morning briefing teleconference rescheduled three times. During one of these interludes I sloped up to my barbers, accompanied Betty who was also on her way to get her hair done. At Betty's place they give you glasses of wine. At Just Gents all is changed. Only the walrus-faced butcher remains, and the other two, both rather good barbers, have been replaced by surly lurkers. Far worse than this is the unavoidable fact that the area of concern is aggressively spreading: the remaining hair on the top of my head is increasingly sparse. As the sausage-fingered barber worked on my thinning thatch I could glimpse the curve of my gleaming scalp like the horizon of a hostile planet. Back to work on newsletters for people attending a congress about haemophilia, and a bit more on strokes. All this good for the Kenny coffers of course....

Mute button More work on newsletters today. Then, to make sure I would be paid, sent the dozen or so meticulous and tiresome emails needed to get my hours on their system. Helping freelancers get paid is never a priority. After work I hobbled off briskly enough for a much-needed haircut, as it was becoming lobetastic. When they cut it short and spray it with water you can see my scalp these days. Got the paunchy barber who has to be one up. So when he asked me if I was going on holiday, and I said yes to Canada, he looked momentarily panicked. Mosquitoes , he said plucking inspiration from the air. Yes they have them, I said. When I get bitten I swell up, last time I was in Spain... etc. He also gave me his opinions on the Gay Pride march this weekend, which were of the I have loads of gay mates but... variety. They need to invent mute buttons for hairdressers. The symbol on the button would be of a pair of giant scissors poised around the neck of the hairdresser. Began reading The ...